Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethesda, MD and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,184 in Bethesda, MD, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Bethesda, MD
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Bethesda, MD Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bethesda, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,184

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bethesda, MD and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bethesda, MD and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,184 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $3,184
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,988 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $4,988
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,792 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $6,792
Medellin $3,186

Bethesda, MD costs about 94% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bethesda, MD and Medellin sit above the global median – Bethesda, MD by 134%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.45 $22.45

$8.09 COP 26.1K

177.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$47.05 COP 151.9K

114.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 $10.79

$9.50 COP 30.7K

13.58%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.01 COP 9,735

79.07%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.80 COP 5,809

63.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.41 COP 4,561

71.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 $7.07

$3.18 COP 10.3K

122.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.77 $8.77

$5.75 COP 18.6K

52.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.51 COP 4,876

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.38 COP 7,678

75.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.77 COP 5,720

122.60%

Eggs

$4.59 $4.59

$2.89 COP 9,333

58.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.66 $16.66

$10.19 COP 32.9K

63.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$9.87 COP 31.9K

60.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.19 $23.19

$13.99 COP 45.2K

65.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$3.97 COP 12.8K

43.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.55 COP 5,012

-12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.18 COP 7,048

93.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.18 COP 7,051

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.96 COP 6,337

13.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.59 COP 5,132

64.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.15 COP 3,699

105.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.24 COP 4,014

97.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$3.96 COP 12.8K

138.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.13 $18.13

$13.68 COP 44.2K

32.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.66 COP 5,359

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 COP 7,291

28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.17 COP 3,771

158.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 $102

$77.4 COP 249.8K

31.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.27 COP 4,094

214.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.05 COP 6,612

-38.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.51 $24.51

$8.55 COP 27.6K

186.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.35 COP 4,349

-32.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.0K $23.0K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-32.53%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K $24.0K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-30.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$162 $162

$170 COP 547.8K

-4.60%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.86 $38.86

$13.55 COP 43.8K

186.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 $61.1

$28.07 COP 90.6K

117.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$106 $106

$43.70 COP 141.1K

141.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.35 $30.35

$17.19 COP 55.5K

76.56%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 $16.29

$6.91 COP 22.3K

135.75%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,830 $1,830

$797 COP 2.6M

129.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.4K $35.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

288.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-35.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 $56.2

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$135 COP 435.8K

-24.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$97.9 COP 316.0K

54.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,260 $2,260

$1,208 COP 3.9M

87.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$642 COP 2.1M

162.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,962 $3,962

$2,028 COP 6.5M

95.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,285 $3,285

$1,012 COP 3.3M

224.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,989 $5,989

$4,170 COP 13.5M

43.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,359 $5,359

$1,910 COP 6.2M

180.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,610 $8,610

$657 COP 2.1M

1210.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.94

-37.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bethesda, MD: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bethesda, MD

$1.7K 52.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 61.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Bethesda, MD

$462 14.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 35.8% $165

Eating Out

Bethesda, MD

$351 11%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.7% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethesda, MD

$262 8.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 19.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Bethesda, MD

$164 5.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 3.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bethesda, MD

$138 4.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 58.4% $81

Getting Around

Bethesda, MD

$124 3.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 24.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,260 in Bethesda, MD versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bethesda, MD are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bethesda, MD versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $462 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethesda, MD

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

Same time as Bethesda, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,858

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bethesda, MD Medellin 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethesda, MD
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bethesda, MD vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bethesda, MD is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,777 per month in Bethesda, MD and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,260 in Bethesda, MD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bethesda, MD and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,184 in Bethesda, MD and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 49% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Bethesda, MD at $3,184. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethesda, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bethesda, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.